Liquor Control sets hearings for 2 businesses

LORAIN — The Ohio Division of Liquor Control has set hearings for two bars facing objections from Lorain city officials.
State officials will be in Lorain County on Nov. 26 for hearings on the liquor permit renewals of the Cotton Club, 1766 E. 28th St., and Gil’s International Lounge, 1840 E. 28th St., according to hearing notices filed at Lorain City Hall.
The hearings will start with the Cotton Club at 9 a.m. and the International Lounge at 10:30 a.m. The hearings are scheduled to be at the county Department of Job and Family Services, 42485 North Ridge Road in Elyria Township.
In August Lorain City Council voted to object to the renewal of the liquor permits for the two bars and for High Point Liberty Inc., which operates Liberty Gas at 2436 Broadway.
At the time, Mayor Chase Ritenauer shared a six-page report compiled by Lorain police to document more than two dozen incidents involving the South Lorain bars. At least three times last year, clerks at the Liberty Gas station sold alcohol to underage buyers, according to police.
“Gil’s International Bar, the Cotton Club and Liberty Gas USA in some form have contributed to the increase in violent criminal activity in the city of Lorain,” the police report said. “The lack of accountability by these businesses and blatant disregard for Ohio laws jeopardizes their patrons as well as the citizens.”
The bar owners have lined up their own lawyers to assist with their cases.
Lorain police, the administration and City Council have made no good faith efforts to resolve what the city claims are problems in Gil’s International Lounge or work with owner Gilbert Shields, said his attorney, Anthony Baker of Lorain.
In September Baker sent a five-page letter to City Council protesting the Lorain Police Department’s claims about the International Lounge, according to city records. Earlier this week, Baker said he had not heard back from city officials on the issue.
Lorain City Council’s objection to the renewal for High Point Liberty Inc. remains pending; a hearing date has not been set.
Meanwhile, all three establishments have complaints pending in Columbus for alleged violations earlier this year.
The Ohio Liquor Control Commission is holding a hearing this week for the Cotton Club for citations for after-hours delivery and after-hours consumption from Jan. 27, according to records from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Online records of the Ohio Department of Commerce, which oversees the Division of Liquor Control, showed alleged violations reported by the Liquor Control Division and the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
The International Lounge also had violations of after hours delivery and a conviction of hindering inspection; the complaints were reported June 24, and logged with the agency Aug. 29, according to the Division of Liquor Control records.
Along with the city’s objection to the liquor license renewal, High Point Liberty Inc. also had two active cases with the division for selling or furnishing alcohol to a buyer under age 21, according to the liquor control records.